Two years have passed since the fall of the Einzberns. The Einzbern family was a magus lineage that lived independently from the mage's association. They lived in a mountainous, isolated area surrounded by blizzards and hungry wolves. Yet, despite their isolation, the utter obliteration of an entire magus lineage is not something that would go unnoticed for long. Not by the Mages' Association. As soon as word of their destruction reaches their ears, they send enforcers and mages to search for survivors, investigate the cause of their downfall, and, more importantly, recover any and all magical research and applications that may have been left behind.
Unfortunately for them, Kiritsugu had been very thorough. Like most magi, the Einzberns had wards that could counter any thaumaturgic threats but completely ignored modern weaponry. As a result, aside from a few damaged grimoires. They found nothing but blood and ruin.
"Report." A magus ordered an enforcer that specializes in tracking.
"The corpses around the castle are all homunculi. The cause of death was purely physical. As for the castle, none of my spells or senses have detected any use of thaumaturgy in the area," the enforcer responded.
"That's nonsense!" the magus roared in outrage, "Countless corpses litter the snow. An entire fortified castle reduced to rubbles! And you're telling me you can't even discern who did it, what thaumaturgy was used, nor where to find them?"
"No, I'm telling you that no magus did this." The enforcer responded professionally.
"Well, explain yourself, damnit!" the magus was getting impatient.
"As I said, the cause of death of the homunculi we could find are purely physical. No spell or curse of any kind was used. A few died from decapitation, and others were riddled with bullets."
"Bu-Bullets?" the mage repeats incredulously.
"As for the castle," the enforcer continued, "based on my readings, no thaumaturgy was used either. But I can tell from experience that explosives were used to destroy the castle. Particularly by someone extremely skilled and knowledgeable in precision blasting demolition techniques. As I said, no magus did this, but the method and skill required for this level of destruction perfectly fit the MO of the-"
"The Magus Killer." The magus finished the enforcer's sentence in a venomous tone.
Magus Killer
The very mention of his name made them want to puke blood. Kiritsugu Emiya. The magus Killer. The lowly heretical Japanese magus. No. The poor excuse of a magecraft user that spits in the face of all those who research thaumaturgy with his very existence.
Kiritsugu Emiya! He's responsible for all of this! Wasn't it enough for him to wipe out a legitimate magus linage along with centuries of painstakingly accumulated magecraft? He had to add insult to injury by doing so with guns and explosives?
Guns and explosives! The very thought nearly drove the technophobic magus mad with self-righteous zealotry. Had the man no shame?
"So, the words that the Einzberns were spreading were true. The Magus killer destroyed the great holy grail and betrayed his employer. That cowardly wretch must have come back here to silence them and cover up his treachery." The magus concluded after calming down.
"We have yet to confirm the magus killer's motive for-." The enforcer tried to argue.
"WHO BLOODY CARE WHY HE DID IT!?" The magus cut him short, "I didn't ask for your opinion, dog. Just keep sniffing for clues like the hound you are while I report to the association. I don't know what perverse pleasure he derives from hunting the likes of us, but he has gone too far this time. I swear on my name. He will not get away with this!"
Soon after the investigation, news of the magus killer betrayed and single-handily slaughtered the Einzberns in their own workshop spread like wildfire throughout the Mages' association and increased Kiritsugu's already notable infamy. The report was received with mixed feelings. No one cared about a few random psychotic mages that the magus Killer usually hunts. Still, the Einzberns were a legitimate magus lineage with a thousand years of history behind them. Most were outraged by the Magus killer's despicable deeds, believing he's gone too far, while a few feared that they would be next on his hit-list.
Ryuudoo Temple
'I am the grip of my guns.'
Noble phantasm from the gate of Babylon launches towards him with the force of a speeding train. Gun in each hand, he shoots at the incoming blades. The sheer recoils of bullets clashing with legendary steel threatened to tear the bronze-skin teen apart. Yet he did not falter.
'Steel is my mind, and Death is my sight.'
Another torrent of metal death rain down on the teen. His mystic eyes burned with magical energy as they read the trajectory of each and every weapon. His muscles tighten as they dodge before the blades even point in his direction.
'I have shot down countless within and beyond my reach.'
His circuits were brimming with power. Prana flow within and without of the teen like never before. Multiple mounted machines guns appeared around him. All of which shot at the golden servant and his flying arsenal of legendary weaponry.
'Aware of targets, yet unaware of foes.'
Steel clashes bullets. Bullets clashes with steel, The earth ruptures, and the skies part. As if to make way for the terrifying battle between the golden servant and the bronze human.
'I have overcome countless battlefields, yet never once have I treaded upon them,'
His muscles were tearing, but so was reality itself as the teen kept chanting the incantation of his reality marble. He was converting the world around them to his own.
'There is no mistake. This is my truest self.'
The world is rewriting itself according to the teen's will and convictions. The magecraft that borders sorcery. The high-class thaumaturgy that imprints the user's very will upon the word itself. The greatest of all reality marbles.
'My very soul is Unlimited Gun Works!'
"Wake up! Onii-chaaaan!"
"Heoak!"
Emiya Household
Damian's epic dreams were painfully interrupted by the evil little homunculus, who thought it would be funny to elbow-drop him in the gut in his sleep.
"Illya… cough…. Just because you're light for your age doesn't mean you can jump on people whenever you want. Especially when they're sleeping." Damian barely coughs out those words.
"But Fuji-nee said it would be okay if it's you," Illya says.
"NANI?"
"Yeah. She said that you're a super deep sleeper. And that I should carefully stand on the edges of your bed, jump as high as I can, and land on your tummy. Elbow first. Or you'll never wake up. Fuji-nee even showed me how to do it." Illya smiles innocently.
Correction. Damian's epic dreams were painfully interrupted by the evil pubescent leech of a tiger, who thought it would be funny to brainwash this sweet and innocent homunculus to elbow-drop him in the gut in his sleep.
"Anyway, Shirou is almost finished making breakfast. He's making pancakes, Damian. PANCAKES! With strawberries and maple syrup!" Illya nearly squealed and hopped with excitement.
"No need to tempt me any further, Illya. Go ahead. I'll be right there in a few minutes." Damian rubbed his eyes.
"If you say so, but if we run out of pancakes before you get here. It's your fault, not mine. I mean, not ours. Bye!" Illya disappeared from his room before he could even raise his head.
Damian stayed in bed for a bit, thinking about the changes he's made to the story. After saving Illya, Damian talked to Kiritsugu about her being the lesser grail, but he told him not to worry about it. That he knows someone who could help and that he's going to look for them. For some reason, Kiritsugu wouldn't say any more than that. He told him that the less I knew, the better. Damian could already guess who he was talking about, so he didn't pry any further. If Kiritsugu could save Illya, then he would leave it to him.
Sakura, however, was a different story. He never expected Illya and Sakura to become so… friendly with each other, but maybe that can work out for the best. This way, he could keep a close eye on Sakura and maybe get Rider on their side.
Right now, his top priority is helping Shirou and Illya prepare for the war. Shirou's origin and element should have changed to swords by now, so the first step was to fill his reality marble's arsenal. And he knew exactly where to start.
"You want me to take you to a museum?" Kiritsugu asks after breakfast.
"Yeah, they're holding a special exhibit at the museum, and I thought that we could spend some time together," Damian replied
"Theirs going to be a lot of famous swords display and it's only going to be today. Please, dad. I want to see them all!" Shirou begged. He didn't know why, but he recently developed a deep fascination with swords.
"Yes! Please, take us to the museum. Or better yet, take them. Shirou won't shut up about the sword exhibit since Damian told him about it, and it's driving me crazy!" Illya plead.
"Grampa Raiga already got is all invites Kiri-Kun. This is a one-time special event. It would be a waste not to go." Taiga added.
Kiritsugu had no interest in the museum but was outnumbered four to one, so he agreed. Also, he was happy to spend quality time with his family. The kids were in awe when they first stepped inside. The museum was conducting a special event that only important and influential people were invited to. They were only allowed in because Raiga pulled some string to get them invited. Kiritsugu was curious but, for once, decided not to mind the details and enjoyed his time with his family.
"This is awesome!" Shirou exclaimed as he marveled at the collection of blades.
"Papa, come on! The gift shop is right there! Let's go!" Illya tried to drag her father in that direction.
"Illya, the gift shop is for the end of the museum." Kiritsugu rebuked
"It's okay, old man. Only Shirou and I came for the exhibit, and Illya didn't care about it and only came to spend time together. So, go ahead and lose all your money-, I mean, go and have fun with your daughter," Damian said
"You heard him, Papa! Lose all your money on me!" Illya shouted as she dragged him even harder, causing taiga to chuckle at his expense.
"Illyasviel, please, think before you talk before someone gets the wrong idea," Kiritsugu said before giving up and letting Illya drag him to the store lest she gets him arrested.
"I'll go with Kiri-Kun and Illya. You boys make sure to behave. And don't touch anything! Especially you, Damian." Taiga orders while following Kiritsugu and Illya.
"Shirou, use structural grasping on all the weapons you see in the exhibit. Try to learn their history too. To see who used them and how." Damian instructed as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Eh? But we're not supposed to use magic in public."
"It's okay if we're being discreet about it. You can use structural grasping through sight alone by now, and the amount of magic to use is so minuscule that there are no visual or physical effects." Damian assured him.
"Okay, if you say so," Shirou says as he starts analyzing every sword in the exhibit. He felt a mixture of fascination, pity, and frustration with each scan. Most of the blades he saw were true masterpieces of the highest quality. However, they had a rather sad history. Spending decades, if not centuries, as mere art pieces without being used once.
Except for that Estoc that was impulsively used to stab an art thief in the liver. Shirou was a bit concerned that he found that relieving.
"Wooow," Illya gazed at all the toys in the shop with wide eyes and childlike delight. Kiritsugu repeatedly tells her not to slow down and stay close to him, but his voice seems to have failed to reach her.
"No, you should speed up instead. It's a man's duty to escort a lady, Papa," Illya rebukes.
Kiritsugu sighs. How is he supposed to respond to that? Still, he was happy to see Illya smile. To act like a little girl instead of a magus.
Magus.
"Hmmm. I can't decide." Illya examines the various toys.
"I think that your father should buy all of them for his precious little daughter. Right Kiri-Kun?"
Magus.
Memories of what the Einzbern head had told him flooded his mind as that word. Illya will likely be dragged into that pointless bloodbath if what he said is true. Damian was an outstanding magus, good enough to match any association enforcer. But this was a war between seven magi and legendary heroes from the past for a corrupted grail that could kill millions.
"Papa?"
What if everything he's done, from forcing saber to destroy the grail to rescuing Illya, ultimately became meaningless?
"Kiri-Kun?"
Damian would die.
Fear and frustration began to well up within him.
Shirou would die.
Illya would die.
"Papa!"
"W-what? What is it, Illya?" His daughter's voice snapped him out of his dark thoughts.
"Are you okay? You looked almost sick or something," Illya worriedly asked, making her father inwardly curse his pessimism. He came here to spend time with his daughter, and he nearly ruined it.
"It's nothing, Illya. I was just lost in thought." Kiritsugu reassures her.
"Are you sure? We can come back later if you don't feel well."
"Trust me, Illya. Right now, nothing means more to me than spending time with my cute daughter."
"Heh? Cute? Really?" Illya blushed
"Of course. Having such a cute daughter like you makes me the happiest dad in the world."
"Hmm. I would have assumed that escorting such a cute girl must be quite troublesome for you." Illya says with a mischievous smile.
"Hm?" Kiritsugu couldn't understand such an absurd assumption, "what are you talking about?'
"Well. Damian always says that we look nothing alike. And that people might mistake you for a kind of adult that likes cute little girls like me. Or something. Whatever that means." Illya mused
Kiritsugu's face turns purple as Taiga gives him a triumphant smirk that practically screams: I told you so!
Emiya household
It was only at night when they would go to the shed to resume their magical training. The three always found it amusing that they practice different magecraft and attributes despite being part of the same family. Shirou has reinforcement, Damian has the placing and manipulation of power, and Illya has the flow and transfer of power.
Teaching Shirou was easy, but Illya was a bit more complicated. He doesn't know any of the Einzberns magecraft, and Sella, her original teacher, will never be born now that the Einzbern… blew up. Damian manages to teach her healing magecraft and making familiars, but that's all.
"You know guys? I'm pretty that any high-ranking magus would either laugh at us or kill us when they see our workshop." Illya jokingly said.
Both Damian and Shirou chuckled at her words, but they knew she was probably right. Even after two years, their base of operation was still just an old shed filled with random junk and leftovers. The reason is that none of them gave a damn about research.
Shirou and Damian were more like magecraft users than magus. They saw magecraft as a tool to achieve their goals, just like Kiritsugu. Illya doesn't care about being a magus or magecraft in general. She only wants to spend more time with them.
"By the way. Why did you even bother to teach Shirou projection magic? Even I know that anything you can project is hollow and fragile."
"Because I think I finally know what Shirou's element is," Damian replied
'Well, at least now I do,' he actually thought.
"You do?" Shirou was excited to know. Despite Damian spending the last two years teaching Shirou everything he could about magecraft, he still couldn't learn anything other than reinforcements, alteration, just now, projection. While he did eventually master them, being unable to do anything else was discouraging.
"I do, but first, let me ask you. Do you know what's the difference between a magus element and attributes?" Damian asks.
"I always thought they were the same thing," Shirou responds.
"I can understand why you'd think that, but your wrong," Damian shook his head, "Your element determines the very nature of your magic. Elements such as earth, water, fire, wind, and ether. A magus usually has one or two elements, and a rare few, like me, have an affinity with all five elements."
"While your attribute determines how you can use your element. For example, if your element was fire, you could use reinforcements to make any fire burn more intensely."
Shirou stayed quiet for a moment, pondering Damian's words. "So, what you're saying is that my attribute is reinforcements?"
"It'd be more accurate to say your attribute is material transmutation since you can also use alteration and projection."
"What about my element? Have you figured it out yet?"
"Yeah, but before I tell you, I need to make sure," Damian says while showing him a kitchen knife. "First, I want you to scan this knife."
Shirou was confused, but he obeyed and looked at the knife. His mastery over structural grasping allowed him to scan the kitchen knife simply by looking at it.
"Got it? Good. Now, try to project the knife. You should imagine everything about the knife as clearly as you can while you're doing it: The structure, the materials, even its history. You need to reproduce everything all at once."
Shirou nodded and extended his arm.
"Trace on!"
A brief flash of blue light appeared in Shirou's extended hand before replacing it with a knife identical to the one in Damian's hand.
"Well? How did I do?" Shirou panted between every word
"I think it's better than most mages could achieve. What do you think, Illya? Does it look hollow and fragile to you?" Damian said with a grin after examining the Kitchen knife handing Illya the projected knife.
"No way…" Upon observing it, Illya's expression gradually turns to shock and wonder. The projected knife looked and felt as natural as the original. Illya then stabbed the floor with the kitchen knife as hard as she could. Illya's never been physically strong, but she should be more than strong enough the shatter a mere projection.
And yet it didn't shatter. The blade rang triumphantly through the shed and vibrated through her hand. It seems like her wrist is more likely to give out before the knife if she keeps this up.
"How did you do that?" Illya turns to Shirou, "your projection is just as good as the real thing."
"So what? Isn't that normal?" Shirou didn't understand what the big deal was. From his point of view, all he did was copy-paste a small knife. It was nowhere near as impressive as reinforcements and everything he saw Damian do.
"No! No, it's not! Projections are supposed to be hollow, so fragile that mere a gust of wind can shatter them. What the heck is going on." Illya turn to Damian, demanding answers
"Sword & swords," Damian replied.
"What?" Shirou and Illya blinked in unison.
"Sword & swords, Shirou," Damian repeated. "That is respectively your origin and your elements."
Shirou and Illya looked at him with their mouth agape for a few seconds.
"You knew what my origin and elements were?" Shirou finally asked.
"Not at first," Damian answered honestly. "But after a while, it became apparent. You can easily trace weapons and turn things into weapons."
"Wait. That still doesn't make sense. They're supposed to be only five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Ether. Even if Shirou's origin is a sword, it shouldn't be his element." Illya protested
"Normally, you would be right. But some magi are so deeply attuned to their origin that it replaces their element. Those magi are incapable of using most magic, but in exchange, they have the potential to become extreme specialists. Magi that can only do one thing but to do it better than anyone else." Damian explained
"Think about it. Shirou is a perfect example of that. Aside from reinforcements and projection, Shirou could never learn any of the spells I taught him. Runecraft, elemental magic, bounded fields, nothing worked. But he can project weapons to near perfection. I'm even willing to bet my crest that with enough practice, he can project mystic codes as long as they're swords."
Damian was proud of the excuse he came up with for knowing Shirou's element and origin. He strongly considered telling Shirou about his reality marble right then and there but decided against it. If his reality marble gets exposed, Shirou will get a Sealing designation, which would ruin their lives.
'It too soon to tell them that he can project noble phantasm. I need to watch over his progress and disguise his true abilities as best as I can to keep the worst from happening. We could claim that Shirou uses a specialized version of projection magecraft to project swords thanks to his origin and element.'
'I can create mystic codes that Shirou can project to make up for lack of versatility. As long as Shirou doesn't project noble phantasm or something, he shouldn't get exposed… Hopefully,' Damian thought.
"Well, that's… wow…just wow," Illya was at a loss for words.
"So, I'm a living sword, huh? That's cool. I guess that means I can only do sword magic."
"Projection magecraft," Damian corrected him. "It's the only thing you can do, Shirou, so do your best to master that one thing."
"Wait, what about you? What your magecraft, Damian?" Illya asks.
"Me? My attribute is the placement and manipulation of power. The Dracon family specializes in runecraft and making mystic codes with this attribute. I have fifty main magic circuits and twenty from my magic crest." Damian answered.
"Your magecraft seems a bit similar to the Einzbern, but I've never heard of your family before," Illya remarked.
"I'd be surprised if you did. My family cut all ties with the mage's association centuries ago and stayed hidden. As far as I know, everyone forgot we existed, and for some reason, my parents were pleased with that. Don't ask me why. They died from the fire before I cared enough to ask."
"I'm sorry, Damian. I don't even remember my own parents, so I can't imagine how hard-."
"Nope!" Damian dismisses Shirou's sympathy with a wave of his hand, "My parent cared about research and my magical training, and literally nothing else. Barely two days after Kiritsugu adopted me, and he was already more of a parent than those people ever were to me."
Damian doesn't see Kiritsugu as his father, but those were his honest words. In the original Damian's memories, he never had even one casual conversation with his parents. They barely considered him a disciple, much less a son. It was all magical research this and training that. He doesn't know how the original Damian felt about this. He only inherited his memories, not his feelings. He just knows that he would be lonely or spiteful to have parents like that.
"Magus families are the worst," Illya frowned.
"Illya." Shirou scolded her.
"No, she's right." Damian agreed, "The Dracon suck, the Einzbern sucks, magi in general suck. Remember this Shirou and remember it well. While some might be kinder than most, most magi would throw away their morals without a second thought in the name of research. Assuming they have any, to begin with."
"Amen," Illya nodded.
"Okay, enough with the depressing talk," Shirou didn't like where this conversation was going, "let's get back to training."
Shirou continued to practice projection while Illya still practiced healing magecraft and making familiars. Damian focused on further developing his Displacement magecraft. He had long since mastered shape displacements and is now trying to figure out how to displace light and sound.
Damian's Mystic Eyes of Insight allows him to comprehend nearly every thaumaturgy he sees. Including his own. They don't make him a genius in magecraft but will enable him to see exactly what went wrong with his spell, allowing him to quickly learn through trial and error.
Damian initially had no idea how to displace light and sound. These past two years, he's been taking full advantage of his eyes to the fullest by randomly casting displacement magic in hundreds of different ways until he gets the results he was looking for.
'Mystic eyes are a magus's best friend. I'm no genius. Without them, it would have taken me decades to get this far. Kiritsugu was right. I must keep my eyes a secret. If magus finds out, they would murder me out of sheer envy or try to rip my eye out of my sockets. Likely both.'
The Next Day
"Guys. I'm sorry if this is sudden, but I'll be going on a business trip for a couple of weeks. And I'm taking Illya with me." Kiritsugu says while he eats breakfast with the kids.
"Eh?" Shirou, Illya, Damian, and Taiga said in unison with their mouths full while looking at him incredulously.
"Yeah, there's someone I need to meet that can,"
"You said the same thing when you went to get Illya with Damian without me! Do you have another secret child that I don't know about?" Shirou cut him short.
"No, Shirou," Kiritsugu sighed. "I don't have a sec-."
"Wait! You had another secret family behind my back? Do you have another secret wife and daughter too? Have you been cheating on us? Are we not good enough for you anymore? Is that it?" Then Illya cut him short.
"What? No…it's not!" Kiritsugu nearly choked on his food at Illya's question.
"It's not like that. I'm going out of the country to meet-," Kiritsugu tried to explain.
"Oh, come on! Not again! How many poor children and heartbroken wives did you leave behind Kiri-Kun!?" Now it was Taiga's turn to cut him short.
"I do NOT, nor have I EVER had another secret family!" Kiritsugu stressed.
This was, without a doubt, the most embarrassing moment of the magus killer's life. Everyone, including Illya, was glaring at him like he was a perverted, unfaithful scumbag that left a trail of broken hearts and abandoned children in its wake.
Except for Damian, but only because he needed sheer willpower to suppress his hysterical laughter.
"I think I found someone who can help me with Illya's… condition," Kiritsugu said quickly to prevent any more misunderstandings.
"Condition? Are you talking about her dwarfism?" Taiga asked.
That's the excuse Kiritsugu uses to explain Illya's height.
Everyone but Taiga knew what Kiritsugu meant by Illya's condition. The harsh body modification that the Einzberns performed on her before and after her birth to maximize her magic circuits has stunted her growth and significantly shortened her lifespan.
"Yeah." Kiritsugu nodded. "I'm going to meet with them out of the country. With any luck, they can help Illya get a healthy growing body." His choice of words was evident to everyone, except for Taiga.
'Heh, so I was right. Damian smirked. 'Kiritsugu's been looking for a puppet master.'
Kiritsugu hasn't been idle. He's been looking for a way to save his daughter. The person he was looking for wasn't easy to find, even for him. For the past two years, he's been searching, going through his list of contacts, chasing dead ends after dead ends.
"Then. That…that means" Illya's eyes widen with delight, and a huge smile spread across her face.
"That right, Illya." Kiritsugu smiles warmly, "you'll be able to grow up and live a long li-."
"That means I'll grow big and plump! Just like mom! Then papa will stop looking at other girls, and I can have him all to myself!" Illya cheered at the top of her voice, causing Kiritsugu and Taiga's faces to turn a shade of purple and Damian to fall on the floor, laughing like a maniac.
She only meant that she wouldn't have to worry about her papa leaving her for another family. But her poor choice of words and Kiritsugu's current impression on the household made it sound something far less innocent.
Taiga grimaced at the (not so) innocent Kiritsugu, glaring at him like he was a piece of hot garbage while he could only bury his face in his hands in embarrassment.
"So, you're saying that you found a doctor that can help Illya?" Shirou asks, getting back on topic and rescuing Kiritsugu from certain doom.
"Yes, thank you. I mean, yes. I'll be meeting them in London."
"Do you…heh… need me to come with you?" Damian asks, chuckling between every word.
"Not this time, Damian. I'll be fine on my own, but it could take some time, so I need to look after Shirou while I'm gone."
"I'll be counting on you too, Taiga. Please look after these two for me while I'm away." Kiritsugu asked, hoping to appease her fury with his request.
"I guess I don't have a choice. Since you clearly can't be trusted to look after them. I'll let this go, for now, Kiri-Kun, but I find out about any more secret wives or kids, you'll be in big trouble!" Taiga warned him, still giving him the stink eye.
Kiritsugu left with Illya that day. When Damian asked Kiritsugu how much it cost him before he left, he said he would give them Illya's body and promised them his own after his demise. Illya was a homunculus and the pinnacle of the Einzbern magecraft. His body had the curse of Angra Mainyu; both were so valuable to the puppet master that they didn't think twice before closing the deal.
Kiritsugu hated that they were looking at them as if they were objects but didn't complain. Illya would be freed from the holy grail and live a long life with this. To him. It was worth any price.
The whole procedure took over a month and was utterly nerve-wracking for the former Magus Killer. Seeing Illya and her new body in tanks full of glowing fluid with eyes closed and no visible movement made him panic like a father would when his wife is about to give birth to his firstborn. Despite the puppet master's reassurance. At the end of it all, the procedure went well.
Almost too well.
Despite having the same height previous one, Illya's new body was as strong as a human adult and will likely grow as her body ages. And even without her mostly magic circuit composed body, she's still an outstanding magus with about one hundred and twenty circuits. Kiritsugu wasn't sure if he should be happy or worried.
While her harsh body modification gave her a semi-endless amount of mana, it also left her with severe physical deficiencies. Being unable to sprint, needing to spend at least half a day sleeping, her growth being crippled, and her lifespan being shortened to less than a decade.
Illya was long gotten accustomed to and accepted her physical limitation. Yet, after getting a new body, Illya felt like a disabled person able to walk again.
As soon as they returned home, Illya did nothing but test the limits of her new body. She ran around the house for hours, lifting things with ease that were too heavy for her and staying awake as late as possible, much to Kiritsugu's joy and dismay.
During their family outings to the park, she would run, sing and dance so much that Damian and Shirou had a hard time keeping up with her. Kiritsugu simply sat and enjoyed the sight. He's done a lot of terrible things in his life, but he did not doubt that he would do it again in a heartbeat if those actions have led him to this moment.
He couldn't and wouldn't hold back the tears flowing tears through his eyes.
'Irisviel, you were probably right when you said that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ran away with you, but at least then, you would be here, sharing this moment with Illya and me. I don't deserve to be happy, but you did, and so do they. The only way to atone is to spend whatever's left of my life to help them in every way that I can.'
Author's Note:
Writing this chapter took longer than I thought it would. In case you're all wondering, yes. Blowing up the Einzberns will have consequences that the Emiyas will have to deal with before and during the war. I can't wait to write how that will go.
It was never specified how many magic circuits Illya would have if it weren't for her body modification. The Einzbern's homunculi tend to have superior magic circuits than the average magi, so having at least over one hundred of them makes sense to me.
I decide to be vague about who the puppet master is, at least for now. I may add more details depending on how this story will go.
Thank you all for reading and your comments. See you all next week. Or the week after that. Or the week after that.
Writing is hard.
